1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to work lights, and more particularly, to work lights with a protective outer cage attached to the front of the light.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable work lights are manufactured and sold by many companies. Because a large number of companies manufacture these work lights, they must be sold at competitive prices in large quantities with very small profit margins.
Most portable work lights 12 in the prior art (FIG. 1) include an outer housing 13 which contains the bulb 14 with a square or rectangular-shaped piece of glass 15 covering a front opening 16. The piece of glass 15 protects the bulb 14 by preventing objects, water, and dirt from entering the outer housing 13. The piece of glass 15 is held in place on the housing 13 by a removable faceplate 17. Screws or other suitable connectors (not shown) are used to attach the faceplate 17 to the outer housing 13. Clips (not shown) are used to attach the piece of glass 15 to the inside surface of the faceplate 17 so that the piece of glass 15 and faceplate 17 may be removed as a single unit from the outer housing 13 when replacing a bulb 14.
Many work lights 12, also include a forward extending cage 20 that protects the piece of glass 15 and prevents objects or surfaces from being placed too close to the piece of glass 15 and igniting. Typically, the cage 20 is attached to the front surface of the faceplate 17 with external clips 18 attached with threaded connectors 19, as shown in FIG. 1.
Many portable work lights sold in the United States are manufactured in foreign countries and then shipped to the United States in their retail boxes. One drawback of doing so is the additional cost of shipping the work lights to the United States for sale. One factor that influences the cost of shipping is the size and shape of the retail container. Typically, it is desirable to ship the work lights in a partially assembled configuration so that the size of the retail container may be reduced. Such work lights require assembly by the purchaser prior to use.
Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit, product safety testing and certification organization. Many retailers require that portable work lights be tested and certified by this organization before they are sold in their stores. In order for portable work lights to be certified, the cages on the work lights must be securely attached to the faceplate so that they cannot be accidentally removed from the work light. One adopted standard is that a hand tool, such as a screwdriver, be required to remove the cage from the faceplate. While clips attached with threaded connectors meet this requirement, they also require the use of hand tools to attach the clips to the faceplate. Typically, the clips and cages are attached to the faceplate by the manufacturer and shipped in a box to the retailer. Because the cages extend forward on the faceplate, the size of the box must be larger than a box used to hold work lights with the cages detached. What is needed is a work light cage attachment system that enables the manufacturer to ship the work lights with the cages detached so that smaller boxes may be used and enables the end user to easily attach the cage of the faceplate of a work light without using external clips and requires the use of a hand tool for the removal of the cage from the faceplate without a hand tool.
It is a general object of the present invention to provide a work light that is less expensive to ship and still meets Underwriters Laboratories approval.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a work light cage attachment system that enables the cage to be detached from the work light housing when shipped and then easily attached by the end user.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a system that requires the use of a hand tool to remove the cage from the faceplate. These and other objects of the invention which will become apparent are met by an improved work light cage attachment system that enables the work light to be shipped with the cage detached so that the overall size of the shipping box may be reduced. During assembly, the cage is easily attached to the work light without a hand tool yet requires the use of a hand tool for its removal. The system includes a cage that securely attaches to the faceplate over the glass opening on the work light. The cage includes a plurality of horizontal and vertical frame members. Attached to each comer and perpendicularly aligned to the cage planar surface is a rearward extending leg. Each leg includes a perpendicularly aligned foot that, during assembly, extends outwardly into a gap opening located between the inside surface of the faceplate and the glass. Attached to each foot is a clip with a central extending stop member. Formed on the inside surface of the faceplate adjacent to the upper and lower edges of the glass opening are two raised lips. During operation, the legs may be easily forced together and inserted into the four comers of the glass opening so that the clips are inserted into the gap openings located between the faceplate and the glass. The lips prevent the removal of the stop members without a hand tool, thus meeting Underwriters Laboratories code.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.